Starwood Hotels letter to governor warns of destructive impact on state tourism

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

On April 1, 2015, Kenneth S.

On April 1, 2015, Kenneth S. Siegel, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel for Starwood Hotels and Resorts, faxed a letter addressing the controversial issues contained in a Religious Freedom Restoration act.

The letter to the Governor of the State of Arkansas, Asa Hutchinson, calls for a veto of the Arkansas Religious Freedom Restoration Act, and says:

Dear Governor Hutchinson:

I am writing on behalf of Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., and its Brands (Sheraton, Four Points, Aloft, Westin, LeMeridien, W, St. Regis, The Luxury Collection and Element) to ask that you veto the Arkansas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Starwood strongly believes in and maintains a culture of inclusiveness for its guests and associates, with the global objective of creating an environment where all associates, guests, customers, developers and shareholders feel invited, welcomed and valued for their differences. As such, our policies prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, as well as other categories such as color, race, age, national origin, pregnancy, citizenship status, ancestory, marital status, veteran status, disability, handicap, religion, creed an genetic information. The bill passed by the Arkansas Legislature is antiethical to the core values of inclusiveness we strive for at Starwood and we will continue to maintain and enforce our policies and values.

Additionally, as things now stand, it is quite evident that this law will have a destructive impact on state tourism and, in turn, our hotels and industry. In addition to the hostile public reaction to this bill, there are calls for a boycott of the State of Arkanses, and we expect a significant number of tourists, event planners and corporations will choose to book trips and events in locations other than Arkanses if this legislation is not vetoed.

We urge you to demonstrate that Arkansas rejects all forms of discrimination by vetoing the Arkansas Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

Sincerely,
Kenneth S. Siegel

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Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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